"testify to the light..."

By Johanna Johnson

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” (John 1:6-7)

Like John, we are also called to testify to the light. How do you let the light of Christ within you, which comes to us at Christmas, shine in the world?

Perhaps you are like a mirror, reflecting the light of Christ in the world. You see good in the world, and you try to mimic it. You look to good examples of godly living, and are inspired to follow suit. I find myself doing this as I look to my grandparents’ amazing witness in the world as loving, hospitable, gracious, God-fearing people. I try to live up to their example.

Perhaps you are more like a window. When people look at you, they see Christ inside you. They see light pouring out of you, like light pours out of the uncovered windows of a house at night. I love driving by my church at night when there is something going on in the sanctuary. Normally, during the day, we enjoy our beautiful stained glass windows from the inside, but at night, when it’s dark outside and the light is from within, our sanctuary boasts a gorgeous stained glass cross of many colors directly toward Highway 41. And along the sides of the building, our windows project the illumined story of Jesus for all to see.

Perhaps you are like a taper candle. My family has a tradition of candle-lighting during this season. We begin in a dark room and light one candle at a time, bearing witness with each candle to an experience of Christ’s light in the world. My grandparents liked to tell a story of my uncle John. When he was a child participating in this tradition, he used to try to find the very darkest corner of the room, and carry a lit taper to light a candle there. Do you look for those dark corners into which you can bring some light? It’s often much easier, at least safer, to stay on the well-lit major thoroughfares of life, and avoid the dark corners of the world. But perhaps you are like a taper, bringing light even into the darkness.

Or maybe you are like the crystals my mom likes to hang in her kitchen window, which, when they meet the morning light, throw rainbows all over the kitchen. Maybe you refract light all over a room, bringing unexpected splashes of color and promise into the world.

How does the light of Christ work in your life? Do you put it under a bushel? (No!) How do you let it shine? How do you testify to the light?